Nurse Charles Cullen Charged With Murder, Tells Investigators He Killed 30 to 40 Patients
In court, Cullen repeatedly tried to plead guilty to the murder of a priest who died of a heart-drug overdose, ignoring the judge's advice to stay silent.
Published
Charles Cullen did not want a lawyer and did not want a trial. On December 15, 2003, the nurse stood in a Somerset County courtroom and tried again and again to plead guilty to murder.
Cullen, 43, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of the Rev. Florian Gall, 68, a Roman Catholic priest from Whitehouse Station, who died on June 28, 2003, at Somerset Medical Center with lethal levels of the heart drug digoxin in his blood. He was also charged with attempted murder of a cancer patient from Basking Ridge who had been given a dangerous dose of digoxin in June and survived it, but died at the hospital in September. "I don't want to contest the charges. I plead guilty," Cullen said. "I don't want to be represented. I don't intend to fight this." Superior Court Judge Paul Armstrong declined to accept a plea and urged him to find a lawyer or accept a public defender.
According to documents released by Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest, Cullen had told investigators over the weekend that he killed 30 to 40 patients during his 16 years as a nurse, including 12 to 15 at Somerset Medical Center in 13 months. He said he gave them medication to ease their pain and suffering. A county detective's affidavit said Cullen had accessed the hospital's digoxin dispensing system "at an abnormally high rate," with no medical reason, and had canceled orders afterward to hide what he did. Cullen had been arrested without incident on the night of December 12 in Bridgewater, after dining at a restaurant on Route 22.
Cullen had worked at hospitals across New Jersey and Pennsylvania since 1987. Earlier inquiries into patient deaths at Warren Hospital in Phillipsburg and at St. Luke's Hospital in Fountain Hill had ended without charges, and Lehigh County's district attorney now asked state police to reopen the St. Luke's case.
The Morning Call reported that Cullen was charged with one count of murder and one of attempted murder, while CBS News later said he was charged with a murder and two attempted murders.
Sources
- Murder Charge for Nurse; He Admits Killing 30-40, The Morning Call (Allentown)
- Nurse Pleads Guilty To 13 Killings, CBS News
Related News
- April 29, 2004: Former Nurse Charles Cullen Pleads Guilty to 13 Murders in a Deal That Spares Him the Death Penalty
- March 2, 2006: Former Nurse Charles Cullen Gets 11 Consecutive Life Terms as Victims' Families Confront Him in Court